Thebusiness

Unaware of the big names in the industry Susan spent most of her time at the conference speaking to anyone who would listen to her and part with some advice. And unknown to her some of the people she sat chatting to at the side of the bar were household names.

She added: “I spoke to everyone because I didn’t’ know who the names were and I genuinely didn’t. I don’t know if it was because they felt sorry for me or if they wondered ‘what’s this strange girl from Peterhead doing here, but I made friends with some of the best photographers in the world and in the business just by sitting next to them in the bar.

“Over the years I got to carry the bags of some of them at weddings, I got to go out on shoots with them, they took me under their wing. I then put together a panel and got my licence with SWPP and it kind of started from there.”

Having made her mark with those in the business Susan decided was thrust into taking photos professionally when one of her colleagues in education, who worked with her in Peterhead, asked her to take the pictures at her daughter’s wedding.

And as luck would have it the groom just happened to be a Dons player, ensuring her images were placed firmly on the front of all the bridal magazines.

Susan said: “The daughter of a lady I worked with in the Buchan office in Peterhead was getting married and she said ‘ Susan you take pictures don’t you?’

“She said ‘Oh my daughter is getting married would you be interested?’

“I said OK, being a wee bitty green. And as it transpired her daughter was marrying an Aberdeen footballer and I thought ‘ Oh no this is going to be bigger than I thought. It’s a big thing.’ And it was a big thing.”

Susan said she was “terrified” shooting the